Original Word: διάκονος, οῦ, ὁ, ἡPart of Speech: Noun, Feminine; Noun, MasculineTransliteration: diakonosPhonetic Spelling: (dee-ak'-on-os)Definition: a servant, ministerUsage: a waiter, servant; then of any one who performs any service, an administrator.

διάκονος, διακονου, ὁ, ἡ (of uncertain origin, but by no means, as was formerly thought, compounded of διά and κόνις, so as to mean, properly, 'raising dust by hastening'; cf. ἐγκόνειν; for the alpha in the preposition διά is short, in διάκονος, long. Alexander Buttmann (1873) Lexil. i., p. 218ff (English translation, p. 231f) thinks it is derived from the obsolete διάκω equivalent to διήκω (allied with διώκω; cf. Vanicek, p. 363)); one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master; a sergeant, attendant, minister;

2.a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use (cf. BB. DD., Dict. of Christ. Antiq., Schaff-Herzog under the word ; Lightfoot's Commentary on Philippians, dissert. i. § i.; Julius Muller, Dogmatische Abhandlungen, p. 560ff): Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8, 12, cf. Acts 6:3ff; ἡδιάκονος, a deaconess (ministra, Pliny, epistles 10, 97), a woman to whom the care of either poor or sick women was entrusted, Romans 16:1 (cf. Dictionaries as above, under the word ; Lightfoot as above, p. 191; B. D. under the word ).

3.a waiter, one who serves food and drink: John 2:5, 9, as in Xenophon, mem. 1, 5, 2; Hier. 3, 11 (4, 2); Polybius 31, 4, 5; Lucian, de merced. cond. § 26; Athen. 7, p. 291 a.; 10, 420 e.; see διακονέω, 2 and διακονία, 5; (also Wetstein (1752) on Matthew 4:11). [SYNONYMS:διάκονος, δοῦλος, θεράπων, ὑπηρέτης: "διάκονος represents the servant in his activity for the work; not in his relation, either servile, as that of the δοῦλος, or more voluntary, as in the case of the θεράπων, to a person" Trench; yet cf. e. g. Romans 13:4; 2 Corinthians 6:4 etc.). δοῦλος opposed to ἐλεύθερος, and correlate to δεσπότης or κύριος, denotes a bondman, one who sustains a permanent servile relation to another. θεράπων is the voluntary performer of services, whether as a freeman or a slave; it is a nobler, tenderer word than δοῦλος. ὑπηρέτης according to its etymol. suggests subordination. Cf. Trench, § ix.; B. D. under the word ; Meyer on Ephesians 3:7; Schmidt, chapter 164.]

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

deacon, minister, servant.

Probably from an obsolete diako (to run on errands; compare dioko); an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specially, a Christian teacher and pastor (technically, a deacon or deaconess) -- deacon, minister, servant.

Romans 13:4N-NMSGRK:θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν σοὶNAS:for it is a minister of GodKJV: For he is the minister of God to theeINT: of god indeed a servant he is to you

Romans 13:4N-NMSGRK:θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν ἔκδικοςNAS: for nothing; for it is a minister of God,KJV: he is the minister of God,INT: of god indeed a servant he is an avenger

Romans 15:8N-AMSGRK:γὰρ Χριστὸν διάκονον γεγενῆσθαι περιτομῆςNAS: has become a servant to the circumcisionKJV: was a minister of the circumcisionINT: indeed Christ a servant has become of [the] circumcision

Romans 16:1N-AFSGRK:οὖσαν καὶ διάκονον τῆς ἐκκλησίαςNAS: Phoebe, who is a servant of the churchKJV: which is a servant of the churchINT: being also servant of the church

2 Corinthians 11:15N-NMPGRK:μετασχηματίζονται ὡς διάκονοι δικαιοσύνης ὧνNAS: disguise themselves as servants of righteousness,KJV: as the ministers of righteousness;INT: masquerade as servants of righteousness of whom